The Reggae star Jah Cure has been sentenced to six years in prison in the Netherlands for attempted manslaughter.
“The 43-year old man was sentenced to six years in prison – with credit for time served – for attempted manslaughter. The court finds him not guilty of attempted murder. His claim of self-defence was rejected by the court,” a press officer of the Netherlands Prosecution Service told DancehallMag.
The Prison Walls singer, whose real name is Siccaturie Alcock, stabbed event promoter Nicardo ‘Papa’ Blake, 45, on October 1 at Dam Square, in the city center of Amsterdam, where he was booked for a performance. Cure had performed at Blake’s concert, two days before, in the Melkweg. However, he had not been paid his performance fee of 5,000 euros.
Prosecutors had demanded that the Jamaican singer be sentenced to eight years, with time served, for attempted murder and assault. However, Jah Cure‘s lawyer Tim Scheffer argued that the incident was self-defense and that it was never the singer’s intention to stab the concert promoter in the first place. Scheffer had also told the court that the threatening messages that Jah Cure sent prior to the stabbing were “part of the Jamaican reggae culture,” according to Het Parool.
On Tuesday, the panel of three judges rejected Cure’s claim of self-defense but ruled in his favor that it was not a premeditated act of attempted murder. “There is still too little evidence for a preconceived plan to take the victim’s life,” one judge said, according to Telegraaf.
On Tuesday, the panel of three judges rejected Cure’s claim of self-defense but ruled in his favor that it was not a premeditated act of attempted murder. “There is still too little evidence for a preconceived plan to take the victim’s life,” one judge said, according to Telegraaf.
According to Nu.nl, the court today described the incident as an “apparently fairly trivial conflict” which Jah Cure ‘blew up and escalated’.
“The judge ruled that such a stabbing incident in broad daylight in a busy place such as Dam Square does give the victim and society a great sense of insecurity,” Telegraaf noted.
Jah Cure can appeal the decision.
Source : DancehallMag
